Rannoch Moor is a large expanse of around 50 square miles (130 km²) of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch. It covers parts of Perth and Kinross, northern Argyll and Bute and Highland, Scotland. Rannoch Moor is designated a National Heritage site.[2]

Flora and fauna

Climate

Get in

The West Highland Railway has halts at Bridge of Orchy, Rannoch Station and Corrour. ScotRail [3] also run a direct sleeper service from London Euston. Bear in mind that Corrour is a request stop for the sleeper train and that passengers in the seated coach must change carriages at Edinburgh Waverley.

Get around

Good luck! The moor is a rugged wilderness, though there are routes. As well as the A82 road and the railway, a number of roads take you to the edges of the moor, with some paths crossing it. The West Highland Way skirts over the western section, from Bridge of Orchy to the top of Glencoe before heading off over the Devil's Staircase to Kinlochleven. A path from Kinlochleven to the Blackwater Dam then heads cross-country to reach Loch Ossian. From Loch Ossian walkers can follow a path to Loch Treig and then follow a trail known as the Lairig Leacach to Spean Bridge, or a rougher path to the head of Glen Nevis. There's also an estate track round Loch Ossian, though beware of deer fence gates which are sometimes padlocked, and from the eastern end another estate track heads via Strathossian House to eventually reach the A86 road near Loch Laggan.

Some walkers make use of the railway line, feeling the temptation to use something that's dry and straight when they're in the middle of a boggy moor. While trains do seem rather infrequent in this part of the world trains can and do come at any time, you can never rely on a train not coming, they are unpredictable. Walking along the railway line is very dangerous; people have been seriously injured or killed by trains in the past on this section. If you do choose to walk on the tracks please be aware that you can not rely on being able to see or hear the train until it is too late, even in the best conditions. The section from Rannoch Station to Corrour has a couple of hazards to bear in mind - one fairly lengthy viaduct (no clearance to avoid trains) and Britain's only snow shed. This is an artificial tunnel where a cutting has had a roof added to protect the line from winter snows. Both these features make it difficult to see or avoid oncoming trains.

See

Do

Hikers may enjoy tackling Beinn Na Lapp (a Munro) or the smaller Leum Ulleim (William's Peak), both starting from Corrour Halt. For Beinn Na Lapp head toward the Youth Hostel then pick up the track for Loch Treig, then head uphill over the heather. For Leum Ulleim there's a path running northwest from the station to begin with.

Buy

Very little! There is no shop at Corrour, nor at Rannoch Station. The nearest shops are in Kinloch Rannoch, Fort William and Tyndrum.

Eat & Drink

The Corrour Station House restaurant by Corrour Halt is a haven of civilisation [4].

The Kingshouse Hotel[5] stands at the border of Rannoch Moor and Glencoe. Pub food and accommodation, plus a lounge with a view - a large window is surrounded by a picture frame complete with brass nameplate, framing a spectacular archetypal mountain Buachaille Etive Mor, aka the Boochal.